Nothing Special
by TeamGredAndForge
Summary: "Merlin." Arthur had his hand on his manservant's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do. We're trapped. I'm sorry." Merlin closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, Sire. There is always a way." As the fire was released, Arthur and the knights watched as Merlin raised his arm as if in welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm so excited about series five that I just had to write this! I hope you enjoy and just a note, this is written from the POV of the dragon. It doesn't really matter that much, it only comes up once, but still, I think reading it in his voice adds to it ;) Reviews are love!**

**(This is going to be a two chapter story, just to get it out of my system and try to get over my writer's block. Sorry any readers of Separation, I am working on it!)**

* * *

There was nothing about that cloudy Friday morning that hinted at the events that would happen to King Arthur and the Warlock. As Merlin readied his master's horse and his own, whistling a happy tune, nothing felt different.

Just a normal hunting trip.

Except one tiny little problem.

"Come on, Merlin!" Arthur shouted at his man servant as he walked out of the castle with his knights. "We haven't got all day!"

"It's not as if you've been waiting for me," Merlin muttered in irritation. "You've been too busy helping your new knight choose his weapon." Merlin shot a look at the dark haired and piercing blue eyed knight standing just behind the King.

"Yes, I have Merlin, but here's the thing," Arthur said, patting Merlin on the arm and giving his best sarcastic smile. "We've been gone for half an hour. It should only take five minutes to get the horses ready. So," he thumped Merlin on the back, "what, exactly, were you doing in that time?"

Merlin looked again at the new addition to the knights. The boy grinned at him and raised his eyebrows. _Go on, Emrys. No point in lying about it._

He felt his blood run cold. "I... I was helping Gaius collect some herbs," he said, sighing in resignation.

"Exactly," Arthur replied with his typical 'I was right' grin that Merlin received at least twice a day. "Now come on, I'm really in the mood for a hunt. And don't worry Merlin, today I don't mean hunting _you. _I've already done that this week. It's no fun if I over do it."

The knights all laughed and Merlin forced a smile.

He tried to forget his problem. But it was hard when that problem was now a trusted member of the court and well placed in Arthur's circle.

Mordred was a knight of Camelot.

And Merlin hadn't been collecting herbs that morning. He'd come to see me for help. And the troubled look that haunted him that day was because I didn't know how to.

* * *

"Look, over there!" Mordred shouted, pointing towards the depths of the trees. "I saw something, I'm sure of it!"

"Come on then," Arthur ordered, galloping ahead with his crossbow raised. "Let's see what Mordred's spotted."

The knights followed Mordred in anticipation, Merlin trying to keep up with their superior riding skills.

"Come on!" Mordred cried, "it's there, look! We're almost upon it!"

Gwain looked back at Merlin with a furrowed brow. "I must be getting on a bit Merlin," he grunted. "I can't see anything."

"No," Merlin agreed, with a feeling of suspicion beginning to take hold. "Nor me."

Mordred kept them riding for another twenty minutes, occasionally stopping to take a shot at something that Merlin was positive wasn't there, until they reached a huge field, perhaps a mile across with a towering cliff on the other side that followed for miles in both directions.

Arthur yelled in frustration as they stopped, the field clearly empty of any prey. "Where is it? Mordred, I didn't see anything!"

"That's because there wasn't anything, Sire."

Arthur and the knights stared in confusion at Mordred. Merlin was the only one who understood. But it was too late to do anything now.

"What do you mean, there wasn't anything?" Arthur said angrily. "What a waste of time! Why did you lead us out here then?"

"Because, Sire, the ban on magic caused by your Father and yourself has destroyed my life and hundreds of others too. I led you here for one simple reason. To kill you, and those who follow you."

His voice was calm and collected, his gaze steady, while Arthur and the knights trembled in anger. Leon and Gwain drew their swords and rushed to attack, but Mordred was too quick. His eyes flashed and a force that wasn't there pushed the knights away. Arthur was still trembling in anger.

"So, you have magic?" he breathed. Merlin moved his horse next to Arthur's and touched his arm.

"Arthur, this is the druid boy. Remember, Mordred, the boy who Morgana saved from your father." Arthur's face fell as he remembered.

"I never... I don't know how I didn't realise. How did I let someone else betray me? Can I trust anyone anymore?"

"Sire." Arthur focused his gaze on Merlin, his eyes flooded with pain and betrayal. "Sire, I'm... I'm sorry."

"Can I even trust you, Merlin?"

"Yes, you can. You can trust me, Sire."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Mordred exclaimed, a cruel expression on his face. "Even Merlin has his secrets. You'd do well to remember it."

"What do you mean?" Arthur glanced from Mordred to Merlin and back again.

"It doesn't matter," Mordred sneered. "Merlin can take his secret to his grave, as can you all."

And with that, he unleashed hell.

* * *

They galloped their horses away from the oncoming fire that chased them across the large expanse of grass.

"Sire!" Percival cried, "we're heading towards the cliff! There's nowhere to go down there, we'll be trapped!"

"I know, Percival!" Arthur shouted back, "but there's nowhere else to go, and just a few seconds longer in this life is a blessing!"

"Plus," Merlin added, "just a few seconds is all Arthur needs to come up with a plan."

"Thanks Merlin!" Arthur grunted irritably. "No pressure, then!"

"Not at all, Sire," Merlin said, laughing. "Glad to be of service!"

Mordred was riding behind the wall of fire, smiling with his hand raised, controlling the fire.

_Are you ready to die, Emrys? I used to think meeting you would be an honour. Now I realise that killing you will be the only true honour. You hide your magic every day. You're a coward._

_I'm no coward. _You're_ the coward. You use magic for evil, when it should be harnessed for good. I wait only for Arthur to unite Albion. Why can't you wait for that? I just … don't _get _you, Mordred._

_You cannot hope to understand, Emrys. And maybe you are a coward, maybe you aren't. Would you rather die now and take your secret to your grave? Or are you going to save their lives but reveal yourself in the process?_

_You know I can beat you, Mordred. Why are you doing this?_

_Because either way, I win against you. You will all die, or you will save them and Arthur will kill you anyway._

Merlin did not answer. They had reached the cliff.

The knights and Arthur turned their horses and faced the fire. Mordred had stopped it, so it was ten feet away from the trapped men and their horses.

"Do you have any last words?"

Arthur got down off his horse and the knights and Merlin followed suit.

"We will die with honour. For the love of Camelot."

"For the love of Camelot!" the knights chanted.

Mordred sneered. "And what a place Camelot will be when magic is finally returned to it."

"You're right." There was silence as Merlin stepped forward. "Camelot will be the most beautiful and prosperous city in the kingdom. And it is Arthur who will rule it."

"Merlin." Arthur had his hand on his manservant's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do. We're trapped. I'm sorry."

Merlin closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, Sire. There is always a way."

As the fire was released, Arthur and the knights watched as Merlin raised his arm as if in welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the favourites, alerts and reviews! I can't believe how many I got in just 48 hours! It's crazy, I never expected it from what I saw as a bit of a mess XD Maybe I should write more Merlin in the future, I loved waking up to 40 emails yesterday!**

**Anyway, after that rant, lets just plough on ahead shall we? I hope this goes well...**

* * *

The knights watched on in horror as the wall of fire rushed towards them. But Arthur's gaze was not on the flames, but on Merlin.

"Merlin, what are you...?"

Merlin was muttering under his breath, a long string of words that Arthur couldn't make out, and suddenly there was a catastrophic explosion of force. It was not, however, coming towards them, but drove away from them towards Mordred and the wall of fire. When the shockwave hit the fire, it was pushed back toward Mordred, but not far enough to hit him.

The fire and the air were now battling to push the other away. Mordred's face was screwed up in fury, clearly fighting to keep his magic going.

But Merlin... Merlin's eyes were closed and his face the personification of calm and concentration. His arm was still raised, his palm facing the battle of the elements, and his body was still.

It was then that Merlin's palm suddenly withdrew slightly and he opened his eyes, yet the forcefield did not falter. Arthur watched in horror as he saw his manservant's eyes burning bright with fury and magic.

"I'll give you one last chance, Mordred," Merlin said, his voice soft and yet reverberating, seeming to fill every atom of the air around them, words of intensity and sorrow and eloquence.

"Stop this, now, or I'll have to force you."

"Just you try, _Emrys._"

Merlin closed his eyes again, in what Arthur recognised as his way of hiding remorse. "So be it." And with that, he thrust his palm forwards once more and there was another explosion, this time with such a force that Arthur and the knights were knocked off their feet. From Merlin's hand erupted a cascade of water that grew and grew, until it formed a wall of water that churned and frothed with the noise of a thousand waterfalls; so loud that Arthur and the knights had to cover their ears, hardly able to bear the screaming that it caused in their heads.

The barrier of water was enormous, perhaps fifty feet in height. It was moving as only water could, but in a constant stream up and then down again. It only took a small movement of Merlin's hand for the wall to collapse, crashing towards the inferno and extinguishing it with such ease as a person could crush a fly. The water continued, hurtling across the field, gradually losing power until just before it reached the trees on the other side, it ended.

Mordred had gone, as had the fire. There was nothing left, only silence.

All this time, Arthur and the knights had been watching with uncertainty and bewilderment. Surely not? Not, _Merlin? _Of all people, who could possibly have guessed it? Certainly not Arthur.

Merlin had not yet turned around, not wanting to see their reactions. No one had said anything, and he didn't want to be the one to break the silence.

It was Gwaine who took the first move. He walked hesitantly towards Merlin, looking back at the other knights and back to Merlin again.

"Merlin?" He stretched out his hand and lay it on Merlin's shoulder. "Merlin, are you okay?"

"I... I'm fine." He turned around, finally looking at Gwaine first, then at Leon, then Percival and Elyan, and finally at Arthur. Arthur did not meet his gaze, and Merlin looked away, guilt spreading through him like a disease. "Are any of you hurt?"

Gwaine looked back at the knights, and shook his head.

"No, we're all fine, although Percival cut his head..."

Percival was indeed bleeding freely from the cut. Merlin approached and, not sure what to do, looked over at Arthur, hoping to get some kind of acknowledgement. He didn't get any- Arthur was still staring at the ground, barely moving. Percival, however, nodded at Merlin.

"Can you heal it?" He looked wary as Merlin held his hand over the cut, but he held fast.

Merlin didn't say any words. He didn't need to any more, he could now chant most spells in his head.

His eyes flashed and his hands glowed gold for a few seconds, and when he withdrew them, there was no sign of a cut on Percival's head. The knight's drew in a sharp intake of breath, and Gwaine laughed, patting Merlin on the shoulder.

"See boys?" he joked. "Told you Merlin wasn't just a waste of space. Not that they said you were a waste of space, Merlin," he added as an afterthought.

"That was... brilliant, Merlin," Percival said, clearly in awe. "To think of all the things you can do, and no one even knew-"

"No." Arthur had finally spoken. Merlin's eyes snapped to Arthur's, and this time, Arthur returned it. He looked... no, for the first time, Merlin couldn't read him. His expression was blank.

"That was magic."

Silence.

"You... Merlin, _you performed MAGIC?"_

"I... I did, Sire."

Arthur laughed, a horrible, hollow laughter that was alien to him.

"So, you're telling me..." he shook his head, laughing without humour, "...that you've been a sorcerer this WHOLE TIME?"

He was shouting now, and Merlin flinched away.

"I'm sorry, Sire, but you must understand-"

"_Understand?_ Ha! I could never understand." He suddenly seem to lose strength, and he fell to the ground, looking hopeless. " You've been lying to me, for all these years." His voice was soft now, barely a whisper. Does the trust, that I_ truly_ thought we had, mean... _nothing _to you?"

"It does, Arthur, it does!" Merlin fell to the floor next to Arthur, his face almost pleading. "Surely you understand why I had to hide it? I had... no other option. Your father would have found out and had me killed. I had to stay alive, to protect you."

"But I've been King for five years now, couldn't you have told me then?"

"I..." Merlin bit his lip. "Magic is still outlawed in Camelot. I feared you didn't trust magic enough, that you'd still see me as a monster. I couldn't bear for that to happen."

Arthur closed his eyes and shook his head again, still not getting it.

"What I don't understand, what puzzles me the most, Merlin- why did you practice sorcery in the first place, when you knew it's banned?"

"I didn't _choose _this Arthur! I was born like it! Do you think I wouldn't love to be normal sometimes? Things would be so much less... _complicated_."

"People don't just _have magic!_ You must have learnt it somewhere!"

Merlin recoiled. "No one ever taught me, Arthur! I was born with it, I told you, and then I used books and taught myself after that. It was necessary, I had to refine my skills, not only to protect myself from making a mistake and revealing my magic, but also so I was strong enough to protect you!"

"Protect me? You've never protected me before in your life!"

"Oh no?" Merlin looked over at Gwaine in exasperation, who shrugged his shoulders. "No, it doesn't matter, that's not the point..."

"What's the point then? Go on, I'd love to hear this."

"Well, it's just... I never wanted to hide it from you. But the longer I left it, the harder it became, the more I knew you'd feel betrayed. I... I really regret not telling you, Arthur. I am so sorry."

The knights and Merlin looked on in silence as Arthur battled with himself, his face the picture of hurt and confusion.

"My Lord?" Leon moved to Arthur's other side and lay his hand on his King's shoulder. "Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn but-" he looked warily at his fellow knights "- Merlin has done so much for Camelot over the years, and his loyalty has never failed. If the law should be broken for any man, it should be for him."

Arthur looked up at his knights and saw them all smiling down at him.

"He's right, Sire," Elyan agreed. "And I know Gwen will think the same."

"We all think the same," Gwaine added. "Merlin should be forgiven."

"Maybe he could even help us, Sire?" said Percival apprehensively. "Surely magic can be used for good? To heal the sick, to help fight against out enemies?"

This whole time Merlin had been silent, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Hope? Gratitude?

Arthur, meanwhile, had his head in his hands.

"I don't know what to do!" he said finally, flinging his hands up helplessly. "Magic is _banned, _I can't exactly waltz back in Camelot with my servant who is now a known sorcerer!"

"Warlock," Merlin corrected.

"Yes, whatever, the point is Merlin, I can't take you back. I'm sorry, I'm going against the law simply letting you live, let alone letting you stay..."

"But Arthur, you _are_ the law! Change the rules, the rules are wrong!"

"Merlin, I can't. I'm sorry. It would cause a riot if I changed the law now just for you, after all those people that have been exiled because of their magic."

Merlin stared around helplessly. "But... what will I do now? Camelot is my home!"

Arthur couldn't look at his servant.

"I'm sorry. You betrayed Camelot when you lied to me. When you lied to everyone."

"Arthur..." Merlin grabbed Arthur by the arm as he began to walk away towards his horse. "Just, please tell me you forgive me. I can't bear knowing that I've ruined the friendship we had."

"I'm not sure if I can forgive you, Merlin. Come on everyone, we're leaving."

And with that, Arthur mounted his horse and rode away, not even looking back once.

Leon, Percival and Elyan all mounted their horses too, giving Merlin apologetic looks.

"I'm sorry, man," Percival said, and Leon and Elyan agreed.

"He will forgive you, you know," Leon told him. "Just give him time. Anyway, come on guys, we've got to follow him back. I really am sorry, Merlin."

"I'm not going." The voice was Gwaine, who was defiantly standing next to Merlin and not moving. "I'm staying with Merlin. He's helped me so many times before, I can't leave him. Tell Arthur... I'm not coming back until Merlin can."

The other knights looked hesitant. "Are you sure?" asked Elyan. "Arthur won't be happy."

"I'm sure. Merlin is the best friend I've ever had, and I'm sticking with him."

"Okay then," Leon said, sighing but smiling at the same time. "I have a feeling we're going to see you both soon. Keep positive, Arthur will come 'round."

Merlin smiled weakly. "Yeah, I guess I'll see you soon."

Gwaine and Merlin watched and waved as Leon, Percival and Elyan rode away until they disappeared into the trees.

Merlin silently mounted his horse, looking down-hearted.

"Come on Merlin," Gwaine said, also mounting his horse. "It's not the end of the world. At least you don't have to hide your secret anymore, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Merlin grinned. "At least I don't have to clean his socks all the time now. So, where to?"

Gwaine licked his finger and held it up to the wind. "I reckon we should go that way." He pointed to the west.

"Oh? And what's that way?"

"The nearest tavern."

Merlin chuckled, "the tavern it is."

"I'm really tired though, and it is still a long way," Gwaine moaned. "I really need a drink. Any chance your magic can get us there quicker?"

"Don't push it, Gwaine," Merlin said, and then they burst out laughing and rode in the direction of the sun.

* * *

_One Week Later..._

The sun was bursting through the many windows of the throne room, illuminating the spotless wooden floor and almost making the entire room glow with its golden rays.

King Arthur entered the room, followed by his wife, Leon, Percival, Elyan, and a few guards. They strode to the far end of the room, where Arthur and Gwen sat on their thrones and surveyed the otherwise empty room.

"So they're not here yet?" Arthur asked, clearly anxious.

"No, my Lord," Leon answered as he walked over to a window and looked out over Camelot.

"Don't worry, Arthur," soothed Gwen, stroking his hand. "They'll be here, of course they will."

They didn't have to wait long. Only ten minutes of pacing and tapping his fingers on his throne had passed for Arthur when they heard the enormous doors to the throne room creaking as they opened. Arthur leapt up from his chair and almost ran to the middle of the room, which was where he met his visitors and pulled them into a hug.

Merlin and Gwaine laughed as he pounced on them and Gwen couldn't help but smile at the spark that had returned to Arthur's eyes, his very demeanour.

"Merlin-" Arthur sounded breathless, as if he was in a hurry to say it, or had been over rehearsing- "I'm sorry, I really am, I didn't want to send you away, I was just so angry, you must understand-"

"Arthur!" Merlin interrupted the King with a kind smile and a punch on the arm. "It doesn't matter! I heard the news that you've stopped the ban on magic." A smile like one Arthur had never seen before, a smile that reached ever inch of his skin and blazed in his eyes, spread across Merlin's face. "It's the best news I could have heard, and it was then that I knew."

"Knew what?" Arthur was smiling like an idiot too, and everyone else in the room couldn't help but feel their hearts warm by the sight of the King and the Servant reuniting.

"That you'd forgiven me."

Arthur sighed and laughed again. "I forgave you the second I rode away and knew I might not see you again. That was enough to make me realise what I almost lost."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"The worst servant I ever had. I mean, really, it's _very _hard to find someone as clumsy as you Merlin, I didn't want to lose the daily amusement I get from you..."

"Well, at least I'm not a... a... _dollophead!"_

"And so many witty retorts, you really are a wonder Merlin, how I survived without you for a week I do not know- oh, that reminds me, my armour needs polishing, and my room needs cleaning..."

Gwen giggled as she watched them argue. "_Boys._"

* * *

**A/N: And there we are! Finished! Terminar! Finir! Abschließen! Need I say more?**

**Hope you enjoyed, I definitely loved writing it, especially since I had a fab day what with getting four A's for my AS levels! ONE MORE YEAR AND HERE I COME UNIVERSITY! **

**I feel like this started well, then got a bit rubbish in the convo between Merlin and Arthur and the knights, but still, I tried... Also, apologies for the overuse of ellipsis' and dashes and italics and capitals... I find it necessary to try and get the rhythm and the pace of the dialogue just as I want it.**

**Anyway, after that rant, thank you all again for reading, the support I've had for only a two chapter story is phenomenal, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! You're all beautiful people and I love you very much ^^ :3**


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